


A mirrored View

by Anima_Lira



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Chibi!Matoba, Continuation of "Re'verse", Family Issues, Sleepovers, Yôkai, alternative universe, older-brother!Natsume, reverse au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:00:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23501986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anima_Lira/pseuds/Anima_Lira
Summary: "Are you hiding from the young master again, Takashi-kun?"
Relationships: Matoba Seiji & Natsume Takashi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	A mirrored View

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Re'verse](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8273302) by [Alyss_Penedo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyss_Penedo/pseuds/Alyss_Penedo). 



"Are you hiding from the young master again, Takashi-kun?"

The boy looked up from the floor he had somehow ended on, right into the eyes of a more or less old woman who watched him with a mix of displeasure and mild amusement, hidden by her all glaring stare.

He shook his head, hurried to get to his feet again.

"Not at all, Nanase-san. I lost something and tripped while picking it up."

While that obviously wasn't the truth, it wasn't a lie either. He _did_ lose something on his way of sneaking out of the mansion.

Though, he didn't need it really, so there was no need to really look any more for it - maybe he could ask one of the ayakashi to find it and bring it to his room - after all, the spirits here did nothing rather than staying around him and asking if he needed something. Once he stood again, he smiled.

"Why, would there be any reason to hide? I wanted to go out for a while though."

It was almost funny that he was tall enough to face her by now, could look at her like that. He would have never imaged to grow as tall, not even in his best dreams. Though the height difference didn't make her any less scary than before.

"Oh? To where?"

It sounded surprised. It wasn't a school day after all and he hadn't much of opportunities to go out normally. He wasn't a prisoner either tough, and it was time to remind someone that he actually _could_ leave at any time if he wanted to.

Because young lord or not, he couldn't deal with the other for now. And preferably, for the rest of the next day as well.

"Oh, to nowhere special. Well, I'm off."

He didn't wait for whatever she had to say to that (because he knew that his determination would immediately crumble beneath her eyes if he stared to long into them), just went past her with confident steps.

He wasn't a prisoner.

He'd already made up his mind, not going trough with it now, would be like losing the worth of his own words. The main door swung shut behind him, making him feel small again immediately. He squeezed his bag tighter, shook his head. He could do it. He would do it.

Hopefully, nothing bad would happen in the meantime.

~...~

Seiji, the young heir to the Matoba company, was currently on his way to seal a god.

Having all that he needed to know, the raven leaved the meeting, followed by the one he had dragged in this as a substitute. It wasn't the best, but it would do. No one noticed them, the masks and Kimonos did their job good enough. For those old men, they were just two shiki, disappearing into the night.

"I still don't think that's a good idea-"

"No one talked to you, lizard-face."

"Hey-"

But the raven ignored the other, continued to walk, taking of the mask, handing it to one of the spirits surrounding them. Those stupid things wouldn't have been necessary if the other had just listened. He would show him, yes he would. And if he could get his hands on the most powerful yokai of the area in the process, then that was just as good. Once they had leaved the exorcist-place completely, he turned back to the blond right behind him.

"Have you made yourself useful at least? Where is the spirit right now?"

The boy looked like he wanted to punch him (but that was fine. It was his specialty to make people either love or want to punch him), before hissing something under his breath like a stray and pulling out a paper.

"Of course I have. You're too useless for that after all."

"How nice of you. I will be forever in your fault."

"Shut up."

The boy pointed on a with crayon marked circle on the map.

"That's the place. It's on the other side of the river we shouldn't cross alone. We will do it anyway?"

"Of course we will. Anything else?"

The other just shook his head, putted the map into his backpack, ready to go. They would seal the yokai, maybe even make it into one of their shiki - Shuuichi could have it if it was useless - and then he would return with this and the other wouldn't even dare to look him into the eyes.

But in the first place he wanted to see if it was strong and useful, nothing more. Of course not.

"Then let's go."

The way to the place was really silent, but he wouldn't want it any other way, was enjoying the night and the life in the forest. It wasn't dangerous for them, because wild animals knew better than to attack the holder of shiki. If even animals could learn that so fast, then why humans couldn't too?

"Are you mad?"

"Why do you think that?"

"You're not having the usual I-am-better-than-you grin, so I thought that you're maybe mad. Or you're sick-"

"Who cares?"

"I do! Working with someone who's sick is very bad! Are you sick?"

The boy next to him kept looking at him with that strange face - what was that?

"Don't worry Shuuichi, even almost dead I'm still better than you."

The distraction did the trick (of course it did), the strange face immediately turned into anger, the blond faced away and they continued their way in silence. Why was everyone behaving so difficult today?

~...~

The day had been rather uneventful, which was a more than welcome change in his everyday life without the slightest doubt.

He had been in another city, spending time with the people, who he somehow had managed to make into his friends over the two years of his stay in this one school. The trip had been planed since last week and this time the blond had made sure he could be there too; none of the usual ayakashi knew that he was here, could cause him any sort of trouble today.

Taki and Sasada had won tickets to an event park in one of those countless opportunities in magazines - at least that was what he had understood - and so the six of them were here, having fun and spending their time being nothing but happy, for a change. School had been rather hard through the last few weeks and the situation at home (so he called it home by now, huh?) hadn't done anything to lighten the tension at all. But it was fine, he wouldn't let anything get in his way to ruin his day, even if the whole world was against him. Not today.

"Natsume, you still remember, don't you?"

"Of course. We're going to sleep over at your home, right, Tanuma?"

Exhausted from all the attraction and ready to leave this place at any moment (as much as he enjoyed them, these kind of events always had the habit to make him feel very tired. Not that he would ever say that) the blond turned around, facing his best friend with a smile that wasn't forced at all.

The black-haired turned, after a good and long look at him to check if he was really alright, back to the others, laughed, when Nishimura got himself a second ride even though he was already sick of it. It was calm, nice, the weather was warm. A day like this should and would be treasured, no matter what.

After everyone was finally finished, they made their way to the bus stop and it felt surprisingly easy to ignore any kind of yokai passing by (his time in the Matoba-Clan had really helped to be able to pretend that he didn't care about them at all, ignored them because he _wanted_ to, not because he needed to), waiting for the bus that would bring them to the small town his school and Tanuma's home were in.

"Sasada-san, is it alright for you to stay as well? You and Taki will sleep in another room, and if needed I can-"

"It's alright, my mother already agreed."

The brown-haired laughed a bit and went on. "Tough it has been quite a ride to get the permission for staying. My parents are really strict after all."

A shiver went over his back, just enough to make all the good mood inside him crumble to dust again.

_"I don't allow you to go."_

_"I really **don** 't need your permission for that."_

_"Are you sure about that? Just try to come back after that, let's see if I let you."_

He shook his head, sighed. Even if, that was worth it. Besides, by now, it wasn't like the words of a child who didn't even reach his chest, were enough to make him shiver. All in all (he was afraid) it was time for both of them to learn a bit about decisions.

(He was horribly afraid. He had finally made friends here, the yokai kept away from him most of the time, the school was fine and despite what he said about the other out loud, the little brat had already grown on him quite a bit, even if he could (would never) punch him for most of his actions. Losing that just because of an argument - maybe it would've been better if he had just talked it out - because even playing dog for a spoiled child was a lot better than most of the things he'd went through so far.)

He shook his head another time, forced a smile on his face and dared the others to call him out on that.

Then, he was pushed in the side and forgot about his (panic attack) concerns for a while, just enjoyed the trip for all it was worth. The way to the temple was filled with yokai - and even tough they called out of him from time to time, calling him by a name he didn't know, ignoring them was all that it took to get safely into the temple - one of his favorite places to be, for sure.

"Is there going to be some meteor-shower to see tonight?"

"I don't think so. But we could make a fire in my garden, we have a fireplace there."

Taki clapped her hands together, delighted by the idea. They prepared the rooms, then the food. Then they found out that there was nothing to grill, so he, stupid as he was, volunteered together with Nishimura to go shopping for sweets to eat.

"Oi Natsume, don't stay behind, we don't have time!"

"Y-yes!"

Everything had been fine so far, they had bought the sweets without any trouble at all, but now that dusk was breaking down, the amount of yokai had increased slightly. Which wasn't good at all. They needed to go back to the temple, as fast as possible. And he tried to hurry, he really tried.

He was running away from something calling him Reiko though any way, not sure if he should be more worried for his life or for the others to worry about him. He run none the less, towards the forest, right towards the first shrine he could see - in the land-side of town, there were a lot of them.

And just as hoped, the ayakashi stopped chasing him, disappeared into the sky. He sighed, let himself sink down on the steps and just breath for a while.

That was his none-existent luck again.

There he had wanted to enjoy one day in the whole month and of course he had to screw up horribly. What would he tell them to not make them mad and to not make them worry? How should he even try to cover that up? He'd let go of his share of sweets like an idiot and just ran off without any explanation at all!

A good way of dealing with it would be to just lie again. He just needed a lie that would actually work for a change. The blond waited a few minutes to calm down and think, but no excuse came into his head in the short amount of time, so he ignored it for now, decided to deal with the situation at hand.

Well, first he needed to find his way back to the temple anyway. In the dark, out of the forest, with no idea where he was and no one to guide him. He sighed again, got to his feet. This would be quite something for sure. But he'd gotten out of a lot situations already, he would (probably) manage.

Starting to head out, the boy went down the stairs, only to trip over his own feet and fall into the shrubs right next to the shrine. It hurt. The impact to the ground was pain-full, hurt. He hissed, tried to get up again just to realize that he had somehow tangled up his legs in a sort of shrine rope.

Not being able to really see anything, he just used force, pulled until the rope gave in and he was free again. He wanted to immediately get up and on with his way, when he heard a deep voice shouting out;

"Finally - I'm free!"

Natsume had exactly one second to realize that the rope he'd just destroyed was there to seal an old ayakashi away, probably a dangerous spirit that very good could eat him in one bite if it wanted to.

He prepared for the worst once the shrine doors opened; ready to jump and punch his way back to the shrine above. In the same moment the moon came out behind the trees, reveling a tiny lucky cat, that looked at him out of shiny green eyes, watching him.

Looking away, he sighed, got up. So probably he wasn't going to be eaten. Good to know. Now, on with his way, he had no time to actually worry.

"Boy, did you break the seal?"

He turned back, continued looking away. Even if it was just a cat, no need to take a risk.

"I did. Don't cause any troubles."

Then he went on, walked trough the forest until he saw the lights of the street. Now he just needed to find the temple somehow and come up with something, then he could call it a day. And he would call it a day, he was tired in every sense of the word.

"Natsume-sama!"

He was grabbed from behind by his jacket, raised his arm in order to punch, stopped. He knew that voice. That was a shiki of... The blond turned around, right into the masked face of the yokai, who still held on his jacket with a shivering hand, the other carrying something he couldn't quite recognize. Another mask?

"What happened? What are you doing here?"

"The young Matoba-sama, he- he went to the meeting and decided to-"

"What meeting?"

What meeting?! With whom had he gone there? Natsume already felt how dread crept around his back, grabbing him hard. Now that he thought about it, the other had mentioned something like that previously, but that was - the other was still a child, who in their right mind would let him outside alone in the dark?!

"The exorcist meeting, the young master did just - just for a little moment and then- and then-"

"Where is he now?"

He sounded way to calm. He wanted to know, but couldn't even wait till the stupid thing in front of him opened its mouth again. That, was a whole different kind of fear, than the one that had ruined his day so far; it was much, much worse.

"The god was angry with them and brought them with him to eat them slowly-"

"Where are they now?!"

So he wasn't alone? Another human? His self-made shiki?! And an angry god?! He needed to get there, needed to get there immediately.

"They are in the valley down the river-"

"Bring me there!"

And the yokai did, flying before him while he run again, as fast as he could while doing his best not to trip again. He wouldn't make it in time, it wouldn't work. He couldn't even run normally anymore, was too tired, needed to breath, needed to-

"With those useless legs you'll get nowhere. Get on."

Out of nowhere, there was a huge beast, settled down next to him and looking at him out of narrowed, shiny green eyes.

"You are-"

"Now get on!"

Getting on the back of a yokai he didn't know anything about, a yokai that could fly none the less, was much like getting into the car of a stranger. If the beast decided that it wanted to eat him somewhere where the remains of his body couldn't be found, then there was nothing he could do against this at all.

So he had to hope that that wasn't the case here and that the beast really just wanted to pay him back for being freed - it wasn't that uncommon for yokai with power to actually be honorable, after all. He got on the back of the other, noticed how soft the fur actually was, forced away the thought immediately. The beast turned to the masked shiki.

"Lead the way, weakling."

"Y-yes!"

They flew through the night, right behind the other, until he could hear the voice of the black-haired shouting something that a child shouldn't shout at all. He could also see the huge silhouette of the ayakashi that was holding him, waiting for the boy to stop struggling already (or whatever it was that it waited for), so that it could eat him.

"Is that the child you wanted to save?"

"Yes! Please fly down!"

Once they were low enough, he jumped off of the beast, in order to land a good and solid punch on the yokai - climbing almost everyday on a tree as fast as he could for almost ten years really had its perks sometimes - and managed just fine for a change. Probably because he made everything just worse with that - who in their right mind would try to go against a god?!

He dragged the boy out of its grip, out of its reach. Away. They needed to get away somehow, out of here...

"Are you alone?"

"No. Shuuichi-"

"Where?"

A tiny, shivering hand pointed somewhere into the dark, a place his eyes couldn't see at all. He went there anyway, almost stumbling into the pitch because he didn't saw it at first. 

"Natori-kun, are you there?"

"Natsume-san?!" There was a face, or at least the shadow of one and he didn't need more. Helping the other out of the hole he had been dragged into, he still couldn't believe that his own hands didn't shake. Now that he had both of them, they needed to get away, _at once_. The yokai got up again, growling. It was angry, of course it was.

The blond was ready to throw another punch, shielding the other ones when the yokai hesitated for a moment, looked at him with its shiny eyes - in which he shouldn't look, he would get cursed for sure this time - and his body froze at once.

"Are you Natsume Reiko?"

There was it again, the name he didn't know anything about. His mouth opened on its own, even if he still couldn't move, but that was fine, he was ready to talk to the huge thing - maybe he could calm it down somehow, ask it to forgive the two idiots this once.

"I am-"

It was over in seconds, the ayakashi flew, scared away from being bitten another time by the white beast from which he had believed to be gone already by now (no one would like to mess with a god, you'd have to be an idiot for this at the very least.). It stared at him in silence for a moment, as if to decide if he was worth being eaten.

"My dept to you is paid with that , human child."

"Yes, it is."

The beast disappeared into the sky before he could add a "Thank you", but Natsume couldn't care less about it. Taking in a deep breath, he turned to the two children who looked far to beaten up to be able to handle a scolding right now.

To bad that Natsume couldn't care less about that either, because no way in hell he would let them down like that.

"One day. I leave you alone for one day and the first thing you come up with is to get eaten by a god?!"

"You should've come with us from the start!"

He wanted to punch the other. A really, really hard punch. So when he was hugged by a shaking form of something that used to be the very definition of smug, he startled, couldn't progress for a moment.

Oh, right. Despite being a tiny psychopath and a child protege, the boy was, in fact, just a little child that had been afraid for his life moments ago. And well, as much as he still was heavy breathing himself, his anger disappeared just like that.

"I-it is alright, it's over now."

But the little child wouldn't stop shaking and neither would the other one that was reluctant to hug him but did it anyway, so there was nothing Natsume, being very bad with children anyway, could do but stay there and just wait for the two traumatized children to calm down a bit, ignoring the stuttering yokai that tried to apologize to its master for just leaving like that again and again. After a while, he let go of them (they let him go), tried to speak, his voice calm and silent, careful to not sound angry.

"It's alright now, we're done here. Let's just bring you two home-"

"Natsume? Natsume, there you are!"

Suddenly there was light everywhere from above, familiar voices filled the silence of the forest and helped him calm down even more - until he realized that he had just left without any explanation and the familiar voices sounded not only relieved but really angry as well.

He turned around to face the one that came running down into the valley, an apology already lying on his tongue, when he was grabbed by his shoulders, shaken trough forth and back.

"You idiot! What do you think how long we had to search for you?! Who are these kids?!"

Nishimura was clearly relieved to see him, as were the others that came down, the flash lights still on him (even if more subtle now), as if they were afraid that he would disappear at any given moment again.

He let himself be shaken until the other stopped, tried to smile despite feeling like the most worthless being ever.

Now he had done it for real.

He had made the brat cry and his friends upset for real. What if they didn't think that it was worth putting up with him anymore? What if? He couldn't even blame them, could he?

"I'm really sorry for disappearing. I will tell you everything (he would come up with another lie again and hate himself for it), but right now I have to bring these two back home."

"Who are they?"

Taki asked, looked at the two boys who still looked shaken, even if the appearance of other humans seemed to help them a little bit.

Natsume sighed. He was tired.

"This is the child of the family I live with right now and his friend. I'm sorry for the troubles we've put you trough, a few things... happened."

He would have to come up with a really good lie this time. And he already dreaded the return into the Matoba residence. What would he tell the parents? What would he _tell_ them?! 

"Oh, so it's your little brother?"

Taki asked, the worry in her eyes changing into interest at once. He quickly shook his head, didn't want to make give any wrong assumptions.

"Oh, uhm, not really, Matoba-kun is-"

"But you live together in the family?"

"I guess-"

"Then why are you calling him Matoba-kun? It's as if you two don't know each other at all."

"It's not like that-"

He _had_ called him by his first name for a time, somewhere around the first year of his stay in the Matoba house, but soon stopped with it again. It was just that... and what did it even matter now? He had far bigger worries right now!

"It is exactly like that. Takashi-nii never calls me by my first name, despite how often I told him to do so. As if my name isn't worth it to be called upon at all!"

The black-haired started to cry out, forming tears and just looking terribly shaken trough and trough. It was even more shockingly to witness. Had the other really been this upset about being addressed like that? He tried to calm the other down, but it didn't work, just got worse. A panic attack? A reaction to the shock?

"Really, Natsume, that's no way to address your little brother, adopted or not!"

But why were _they_ angry about _that_? The other had almost been killed, no way that that was the reason he was crying right now! But Natsume wasn't very good with children, so trying wouldn't hurt.

"U-uhm. Please stop crying, Seiji-kun-"

"No honorifics, you moron! That's a child!"

"I mean Seiji. Please stop crying, everything is fine now, alright?"

_You're safe now, no one will eat you. You're safe._

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for causing you trouble every time, I'm sorry. Even tough you wanted to spent this day with your friends. I-I'm really sorry, Takashi-nii."

The other stood there, sobbing, drenched in mud all over, just crying.

He sighed, hugged the mess of the boy again to hide his face from the others (he wouldn't want to be seen like that. Thankfully, it was dark here for the most parts.

"I'm truly sorry guys. I will bring them home now-"

"At this time? Didn't you say that your home was about 45 minutes away from here by train?"

"Uhm-"

"No way, Natsume-kun, you and your brothers are going to stay at the temple, no complains!"

"B-but that's-"

"It's alright, Natsume", Tanuma said, looking somewhere between relieved (he wouldn't buy a lie though. He would want the truth, the whole truth. Another dreadful thing to look forward too) and trying to hide a smile (he would've been mad at him if not for the sheer amount of everything he had to go trough today),

"I really don't mind and the place is big enough for two persons more - especially when they are so small as these two."

"So Shuiichi can come too?"

"Of course, leaving a child alone is really inappropriate, what do you think of your brother's friends? Despite, Natsume, you and Nishimura-kun have bought way to many sweets, we actually need a few mouths more to deal with them."

It was spoken with such kindness, that Natsume couldn't help but feel bad again. He really didn't deserve friends like them, so willingly to help. No one like him deserved such kind souls as friends.

"Thank you", he said, and because he didn't know what to say else he said it again, "really... thank you."

They laughed it off and begun heading back towards the temple, not leaving him out of their sight but going ahead a bit. He looked to the one in his arms.

"Do you want to let go now? We will lose the others otherwise."

"You really have useful friends, don't you?"

The other let go of him at last, revealing a face that hadn't cried at all, a grin and eyes that were everything but guilty. Next to the grinning Seiji, Natori shrugged, looking down ashamed, still shivering.

Oh.

_Oh._

"You..."

He shook his head, sighed. Couldn't say that he was surprised. He was actually relieved, he admitted it. Because using the situation to get to not only not spending the night home but also getting to finally know where one of his best friends lived (he had made pretty sure to never give the location away - till now), was so much more like the other, than the crying image of a little broken child, that had problems with something so casual as a name.

He sighed again. Whatever. Better then to get killed by the parents anyway.

"Well then, Seiji, Natori-kun, let's go."

"But of course, Takashi-nii. You've really nice friends."

 _Stupid little brat._ To his own disdain, he thought so while smiling, as he leaded the two back to the waiting group.

"You can call Shuuichi by his first name too, by the way. He hasn't enough friends to refuse."

"Hey!"

They spent the night rather nicely, actually.

~...~

On the next day, they first returned Shuuichi, who was supposed to spent the night at the Matoba-household, as he'd found out at the door, when the old house keeper (another one with servants. He was surrounded by rich little brats) made conversation with him.

Natsume believed that once they were home, the same would apply in the exact opposite for Seiji. So the story would probably be that he had picked up the black-haired from the other. Wasn't that just great.

"You do remember what I said yesterday, when you just leaved?"

Dread crept over his back once more, but he ignored it, refusing to be any further intimidated by the other.

"Of course I remember."

"I will drop it."

...What? Just like that?

He hadn't controlled his surprise enough, was far to taken a back by the progression of everything, which was really absurd, considering the one threatening him was a ten-year old child.

The other just grinned at him in a matter that didn't look cute at all, before shaking his head.

"But really, Takashi-nii, leaving just like that? Without telling anyone but Nanase and me? My parents could've gotten really worried if not for the excuse I gave them."

Huh? Worried?

"What do you mean?"

Their was a pause in which the other just stared at him, before shaking his head.

"Forget it."

The other looked out of the window, ending the conservation with that. Or maybe he really was just amazed that he could use the bus for the first time, who would know. Natsume, still not understanding what the other had meant, couldn't help but to smile at that.

Since when had he thought of this place of something similar to a "home"? He still couldn't believe it, not at all. He shook it off, preparing to smile brightly while lying into the faces of his care-takers and avoiding Nanase for the rest of the day.

He would manage just fine. It really wasn't the first time after all.

~...~

"So, let me repeat it: You think that it will be funny to stay in the home of a former exorcist-clan, because it amuses you?"

"Exactly."

"And I should be okay with that, because?"

"You'll drag danger to you like the light the moths, staying with you doesn't sound so bad."

That didn't answer his question. At all. He sighed, couldn't even progress the words of the ayakashi in front of him. It was just too absurd. He was tired.

"I doubt that I will be allowed to keep a cat. I'm overstaying my welcome as it is right now."

"Hm."

"I'm sorry. Please leave now."

"I will stay anyway."

He sighed, didn't even try to fight the cat over it. That beast had saved them from the god - if it really had been one - there was no use to waste energy on it now.

"Don't cause any problems for the house. Don't drag me into any problems either."

"Hmpf."

He leaved just like that, hurried to get to his bus that would bring him to school.

~...~

The cat stayed where it was, looked after the human, watching as he disappeared. Then it turned back into his true form and settled down to sleep for a while.

As things were right now, getting the book of friends from the grand-child of Reiko could turn out more dangerous than anticipated.

But he could stay here for a while anyway, wait for a good moment.

He didn't know by now yet, that in the future, the book would be the very last thing he would think about. Or, maybe he already knew, but was far from ever admitting it.

~...~

The young heir to the the Matoba company who wouldn't attend school today, had made sure that he could stay home, thought about the recent events while looking down at the item in his hand. The yokai of the mansion had brought it to him once he arrived back, saying that the white-haired had lost it on his way outside. (Which was odd, because apparently they hadn't seen anyone _leaving_ the mansion when he asked yesterday. Useless bunch of space wasters.) The raven looked at the picture, not sure what to do with it.

He had wanted to throw it away first, or to rip it in two right before the other's eyes (he had leaved even tough he had told him to stay after all, he didn't need people who didn't follow orders) just for the fun of it - but he hadn't till now, and that was making him think. Because he didn't plan to do it either.

Which didn't fit. It just didn't fit. The other had leaved just like that yesterday, not even asking the _actual_ head of the house for permission to leave - he had just left! Even _he_ had come up with a good reason to leave the mansion, but the other had just left like no one would even ask where he would be for the time being. At first Seiji had thought that it had been insolence - he wasn't so sure anymore.

He would keep the picture of the other's parents for now, that would be punishment enough this time. Maybe he would even give it back when the other asked nicely.

He stopped bulling the yokai next to him, lied down again.

He was tired.

(He would give it back even without the other asking nicely on the very same day, putting it in his room and leaving with an angry face and pouting cheeks. But he didn't know that yet. He also didn't know that he would come to hate the new pet that would soon follow the older around everywhere. There were a lot of things, the oh so sharp boy didn't know yet.)

**Author's Note:**

> A comment is a way of telling someone just how much they adore the story. Author of the original, that would be my comment to you.  
> My, I somewhat want to write a continuation now...


End file.
